When the White House (Secret Service Code: "Olympus") is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As our… MoreWhen the White House (Secret Service Code: "Olympus") is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As our national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning's inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President and avert an even bigger crisis. Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) directs an all-star cast featuring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Ashley Judd and Rick Yune. (c) FilmDistrict

Mike Banning: Classified? Really? Well right now, I think I have the proverbial need to fuckin' know.
"When our flag falls our nation will… MoreMike Banning: Classified? Really? Well right now, I think I have the proverbial need to fuckin' know.
"When our flag falls our nation will rise."
Olympus Has Fallen was better than I expected, but also as bad as I expected. It's not a good movie. It's full of patriotic propaganda that filmmakers for some reason love to use. As a simple popcorn flick, it's pretty fun though and as much as I dislike saying it, I enjoyed the movie for the most part. It has great pace and great action, and in the end that's all movies like this need.
A secret service agent isn't able to save the presidents wife after a car crash and he is relieved of his duties and sent to a desk job. 18 months later, while the President meets with the prime minister of South Korea, North Korean terrorists overtake the White House and take the President and some other high ranking officials hostage in the White House bunker. Mike Banning, the aforementioned secret service agent makes his way to the White House and ends up being the only man left in there that is on the side of the United States. Now he has to fight his way through a shit load of terrorists in order to save the president and the country.
Gerrard Butler definitely makes this movie go down easier. He's a lot of fun to watch, as always. If only he could pick better films. Butler plays a John McClain like character in a movie that can pretty much be thrown into the sub genre of Die Hard ripoffs. Morgan Freeman plays the Speaker of the House, who has to take over as acting president while the real president and vice president are unable to. Aaron Eckart plays the president and does a reasonably good job.
As far as a recommendation goes, fans of violent, bloody actioneers will have quite a bit of fun. If you need something of more substance in the films you watch, you should probably look elsewhere. Overall though, this is a reasonably decent film that's a lot more fun that it probably should be.

jay nixon

Mindless piece of sludge full of ridiculous situations and moronic dialogue. A total waste of a group of talented actors, that Angela Bassett, Aaron Eckhart and… MoreMindless piece of sludge full of ridiculous situations and moronic dialogue. A total waste of a group of talented actors, that Angela Bassett, Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman have to make this kind of tripe to keep working is a crying shame.

Sam Barnett

"Olympus Has Fallen" is far inferior to "White House Down", first and foremost because that film at least had the common sense to not take… More"Olympus Has Fallen" is far inferior to "White House Down", first and foremost because that film at least had the common sense to not take the (identical) ludicrous concept seriously. In almost every way, from the inconsequential, violent, video-game style action, to the infuriatingly dumb dialogue, to the dull, check-box plot, to the terrible special effects (and the list goes on and on) "Olympus Has Fallen" fails to be even a simple, intense action flick. It's boring, and the only positive are the committed cast members, most noticeably Melissa Leo. Everything else is predictable, weightless, and melodramatic.

Manu Gino

We are never stronger than when we are tested.
Very good action movie! The best thing about this movie is its pace. You won't know how fast the 110… MoreWe are never stronger than when we are tested.
Very good action movie! The best thing about this movie is its pace. You won't know how fast the 110 minutes go. There's not a minute you feel bored. The attack sequences are bit over the top, but if you are a drama lover, you won't be disappointed. The storyline isn't much to think about but the screenplay is well done. Its a good thing that the director Antonie Fuqua keeps things simple, doesn't dig too much into the conspiracy stuff and also doesn't include any unnecessary twists. Gerard Butler does what he does best, fight bad guys. Aaron Eckhart as the stern faced president reminds you of Harvey Dent. Morgan Freeman probably is there to strengthen the star value in the film. But its the villain Rick Yune with his evil smile who impresses. This is an out and out entertainer, don't think too much, just be in the moment and watch this movie.
When the White House (Secret Service Code: "Olympus") is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As our national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning's inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President and avert an even bigger disaster.

Cynthia S.

Good action movie. Perhaps it was not very realistic, and yes the main "hero" was a bit unbelievable in his ability to shoot, kill, be stabbed, fall… MoreGood action movie. Perhaps it was not very realistic, and yes the main "hero" was a bit unbelievable in his ability to shoot, kill, be stabbed, fall great heights and have skills beyond belief. So, no it was not a deeply intellectual movie. But, nonetheless a thrill ride from beginning to end.

Film Crazy

Well what can I say very American, but explosive and action fast paced so I was entertained all the way through!
If your not wanting much, apart from action… MoreWell what can I say very American, but explosive and action fast paced so I was entertained all the way through!
If your not wanting much, apart from action then this will satisfy your needs!

Al S

Overall this is Die Hard at the white house, damn near the same story and alot of nods to the original Die Hard and its not even a sequel or remake, so that is… MoreOverall this is Die Hard at the white house, damn near the same story and alot of nods to the original Die Hard and its not even a sequel or remake, so that is some of the stuff i hated about the film. It is like the unwanted love child of 24 and Die hard. To i say i still didn't enjoy it would be a lie, because I did enjoy it for it's over the top concept but also enjoyed it for its strong character moments and development, exciting action sequences and over the top concept. Gerard Butler is back in action, giving a strong performance but dose not really bring anything new to the table and is like a bad combo of John McClane, Jack Bauer and Chuck Norris combined, and thats not even a good combo. Aaron Eckhart is terrific. Morgan Freeman is excellent usually but in here its like really had no motivation or desire to be on set. Anyone could of played Melissa Leo's role, I mean shes an Oscar nominated actress and she plays this part? Rick Yune is a fine actor who usually plays good villains but he just had no depth or any real charisma. Dylan McDermot is great but underused. Angela Bassett and Robert Forester are great actors and also Oscar nominees and they looked at each other in this film looking like they should of just took an actual project with a brain.

Phil Hubbs

So errr...'Die Hard' in the White House? hmmm actually no. Take a bit of 'Die Hard', quite a bit of 'Air Force One' and stir in… MoreSo errr...'Die Hard' in the White House? hmmm actually no. Take a bit of 'Die Hard', quite a bit of 'Air Force One' and stir in some 'Under Siege' and the result is this. Pretty much the best darn homage to late 80's early 90's action thrillers to come along for sometime. The last decent film I saw that managed to emulate the golden ear of action was Stallone's 'Rambo'. Put it this way, this is what I wanted to see from 'The Expendables', not the spoofy parody shit we got, this is real action gentlemen.
During talks with the South Korean PM the White House is attacked/stormed by North Korean guerrilla forces and virtually brought to its knees. Tonnes of people are killed, both civilian and uniformed, as the barrage hits, of course there is treachery in the ranks within the White House as the bad guys make themselves known. The only man left standing inside the Presidents home is Gerard 'Banning' Butler. Its now up to John McCla...err I mean Banning to get his revenge and kill everybody, (no vests involved).
Yep modern times, the Ruskies and Taliban are out, its now time for the Korean threat (China next). First impressions are good, fecking good! the initial siege on the White House/the grounds is easily the best action sequence I've seen for some time yes sir. Its fast, ultra violent, non stop breathless pulsating action, men (and women) are blown away on both sides all over the show, you want bullet holes in bodies, you got it.
This battle rages on for at least 15mins!! an Lockheed AC-130 flies overhead mowing down hundreds of innocents whilst taking down fighter jets, masses of guerrillas storm the White House front lawns armed to the teeth, RPG's, mini guns, snipers taking peoples heads off, suicide bombers oh my! its brutal stuff and I loved it!.
Of course there are some issues that popped into my head as this all kicked off. As the Lockheed flies overhead splattering everyone, many of the secret service and police on the ground fire up at it with their hand guns, why? do you really think that's gonna do anything?!. I'm also pretty sure no plane would get anywhere near the White House in reality, it would be taken down long before that I'm sure. I'm also surprised at how slow the response times are in this film, yes I know its an action film and meant to convey dramatic suspense through artistic license but really?. This is the White House we're talking about, wouldn't the place be swarming with special ops, military police/SWAT, secret service, police, regular military etc...from every nook n cranny??.
It really does seem like it takes ages for the cavalry to arrive which I'm sure would be much quicker in reality, plus I'm also sure those at the location wouldn't get wiped out quite so easily (remember, its the White House, most secure location in world...right??). Yes again...I know its a film but geez! US personnel get some poor representation here! they're all pretty stupid and get blown away as if they were rookies, maybe I'm being too harsh on them?. Also must point out the huge flaws in intelligence to even let such a massive underground terrorist operation get by, and when I mean operation...I mean world war III in the Presidents front garden. But hey...its an action film, can't look into it too deeply.
After this powerhouse of an opening the film does maintain the course and keep you interested, not quite as good naturally but still solid. Its hard to think how the film can continue really seeing as everyone appears to have been killed straight away, good guys definitely. But there does seem to be a never ending stream of cannon fodder in terms of the bad guys.
Never the less this really is the perfect action flick, I can't stress enough how well this works and how much it made me recall certain thrillers of the 80's/90's. There are no stupid one liners, no visual gags, no cheese, no dull ass romances and the kiddie in danger element is dealt with quickly so as to get back into the violence...perfect. The whole film is quite dark throughout actually, lots of bullets to the head, vicious knife assaults, beatings, slayings and some really kickass fight sequences, mainly Butler vs Yune in the finale. But Butler shows us his special ops kill methods along the way. That's one difference between this modern era of action flicks and the old generation, the fights are much more stylised, realistic and focused on military tactics, back in the day they were merely scuffles in comparison.
End of the day this could easily be another chapter in John McClane's life for sure. Its a hodgepodge of various action flick ideas, some more so than others. Anyone notice the two 'Die Hard' sequences? when 'Banning' runs into his colleague 'Forbes' (Dylan McDermott) who does a 'Hans Gruber' act on him pretending to be a good guy. Then the sequence where the SEALs are brought in and get shot down...just like in 'DH' when the FBI are drafted in and get shot down, both sequences in choppers.
Shame they use too much CGI in this film too, unfortunately it looks like CGI and its a bit naff frankly, too obvious. You see, back in the day John McTiernan used real choppers for his shots, tisk tisk!. But I guess they had to for some shots, but they didn't for others pfft!.
Move over Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Hugh Jackman errr...Robert Downey Jr, Gerard Butler has just reaffirmed his place as the new REAL action man for our era. Along with Jason Statham, Liam Neeson, Scott Adkins, Daniel Craig, Tom Hardy and Christian Bale the Brits firmly rule the waves in the Hollywood action genre right now no question (US born action stars seem to be a dying breed).
A true gritty adult action thriller with no beating around the bush, the likes I haven't seen for some time. Overly patriot and nothing original but lets be honest here what are you expecting? look at the plot, of course its gonna be gung-ho and knee deep in Stars n Stripes. Its a balls to the wall action flick and that's exactly what you get. I salute you Antoine Fuqua (does the White House really have rocket launchers surrounding it that come out of the ground?).

JY Skacto

Olympus may have fallen in Antoine Fuqua's <i>Olympus Has Fallen</i>, but the body count rises.<p>Pretty straightforward story going on… MoreOlympus may have fallen in Antoine Fuqua's <i>Olympus Has Fallen</i>, but the body count rises.<p>Pretty straightforward story going on here without much in the way of surprise; however, while the first 30 minutes proves to be some average buildup, the following 80 minutes harness some solid entertainment value.</p><p>When compared to other elements of this picture, the usage of CG is a letdown. The aerial sequences involving helicopters and planes, while destructive in nature, are underwhelming. Fortunately, the rest of the bloody violence and shootings make up for this weakness.</p><p>Gerard Butler isn't someone we haven't seen before, but watching him go to work here is the highlight of the film. Morgan Freeman is second on the stepladder and everyone else tends to fall back into the rubble.</p><p>In the action department <i>Olympus Has Fallen</i> delivers. That's all there is to it.</p>

Josh Lewis

Olympus Has Fallen is an entertaining and well produced action extravaganza with solid performances from its cast, but the story is too implausible and takes a… MoreOlympus Has Fallen is an entertaining and well produced action extravaganza with solid performances from its cast, but the story is too implausible and takes a high suspension of disbelief to be enjoyed completely. The premise is actually pretty spectacular. What happens when the white house is taken hostage with our top leaders inside it, unable to escape? Unfortunately, the script turns the main character into a superhero, despite having no superpowers and having been discharged from his post from the Secret Service for a year and a half. It's believable that he could hold his own for awhile, but to believe he could completely thwart a huge terrorist threat by himself is just not plausible at all. Because of this though, Olympus Has Fallen features plenty of outstanding action sequences with Gerard Butler just plain being awesome. His character takes no bull and it is refreshing to see a character just go in and have no fear and take no prisoners in the process. The rest of the cast featuring Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Melissa Leo, Rick Yune, and Dylan McDermott fill out the supporting roles well. This is also one incredibly violent movie. I was taken aback at how violent it was. It shows everything and does not shy away from making the audience flinch. This is clearly a more mature action movie than I thought it was going to be. Definitely not aimed at teens, which again is also refreshing. Other than the story, one of my other complaints was that the special effects were too obviously computer generated and looked a little fake in some spots. If you are looking for a solid action movie and don't care about the plot, this one is right up your alley.

Thomas Johnston

This is Air Force One but at the White House. It was ok... but Aaron Eckhart falls short of Harrison Ford's playing the President!

Everett Johnson

****
I love hardcore action movies. "Die Hard" is one of my all time favorite action movies, so anytime I hear "this is Die Hard on/in...."… More****
I love hardcore action movies. "Die Hard" is one of my all time favorite action movies, so anytime I hear "this is Die Hard on/in...." I'm gonna check it out. I read that about this, as it was "Die Hard in the White House", and man is that right. This is a better "Die Hard" movie than the last installment. Here, Gerard Butler plays an ex secret service member who has to save the President(Aaron Eckhart) as he is being held hostage in the White House after a terrorist attack. Along the way Butler fights off a ton of terrorists and while not as charming as John McClane, he definitely as that vibe going. When I started this I honestly thought this was a PG-13 movie, and boy was I wrong. This is a hard R rated movie with a ton of headshots and violence, that at times was pretty shocking. A lot of the newer action movies hold back, but not this bad boy. Is there some plot holes? Yup and it's pretty implausible at times. But damn it's a fun roller coaster ride of a movie. I really enjoyed it and I was very into it. The acting is all great, and anytime you've got Morgan Freeman, you've got gold. Butler has starred in some stinkers the last few years, but man this is the type of movies he should be making. The guy is an awesome action star. Eckhart makes a great President too, and while watching I kept thinking "Nick Naylor is the President!"(If you get that, You are awesome. If not, well, Google it). Check this out if you want a very entertaining, popcorn movie. Otherwise, your really gonna miss out.